Knockdown chair



Oct. 24, 1967 P, CHASSAIGNAC 3,348,882

KNOCKDOWN CHAIR Filed July 26, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY STANTON P. CHASSAIGNAG United States Patent F 3,348,882 KN OCKDOWN CHAIR Stanton P. Chassaignac, Box 1341, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10017 Filed July 26, 1966, Ser. No. 567,987 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-440) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A chair having two side fittings from which seat and back members are cantilevered to project therefrom, a flexible seat and back extending, respectively, between the seat and back members, and a cross member holding the side fittings apart stretching the seat and back between the seat and back members.

This invention relates in general to furniture; and, more particularly, to chair construction.

A main object of this invention is to provide anaesthetically pleasing and simple chair which may be completely disassembled to be very compact for packaging, shipment, and storing.

Another object of this invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing chair which has two side fittings from each of which a back member is cantilevered upward and a seat member is cantilevered forward, a fabric back being disposed between the back members, a fabric seat being disposed between the seat members, a cross member extending between said side members forcing said side members apart stretching said fabric back and said fabric seat, and legs supporting said chair.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chair having four legs which will accommodate themselves to floor irregularities.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a chair having means to transversely tension a fabric back and seat to accommodate stretching or shrinking of the seat and back.

Many other objects, advantages, and features of invention reside in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts involved in the embodiments of my invention and its practice as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a chair according to my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of a side fitting of the chair of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front View of a first cross member with a center portion broken away, with portions broken away in longitudinal section, and with a fragment of a side fitting positioned thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken in line 44 of FIGURE 3 showing a sleeve being turned by a wrench;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of a second cross member with a central portion broken away, portions broken away in section to show internal construction, and a fragment of a side fitting being forced thereon;

FIGURE 6 is a front view of a third cross member;

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal vertical section through the ends of the cross member of FIGURE 6 with its leaf spring broken away and with assembly means shown passing therethrough; and

FIGURE 8 is a substantially horizontal section taken above a side fitting showing a modification allowing a fabric seat to extend behind the side fitting.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 show a chair according to my invention. Two side fittings 10 are each welded from steel or stainless steel sections of tubing. A bottom ring 11 has two leg holding 3,348,882 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 front and rear tubular studs 12 and 13 welded to it. Extension 14 fixes upper ring 15 above and slightly behind ring 11. Back and seat member holding tubular studs 16 and 17 are welded to each ring 15 with stud 16 5 following the direction of extension 14 to please the eye.

15 28. Radial apertures 31 allow wrench 32, shown in FIG- URE 4, to turn sleeve 30. The other side fitting 10 has end 29 of cross member inserted into its ring 11.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a fabric seat 35, sewed to have tubular side portions 36, is slipped from the front over 20 seat members 21. A fabric back 37, sewed to have tubular side portions 38, is slipped downward over the back members 20. Sleeve 30 is then screwed outwards as shown in FIGURE 3 to force one side fitting 10 outwards to tighten fabric seat and fabric back 37 between the canti- 25 levered seat and back members 21 and 20.

As shown in FIGURE 5, a cross member 40 may have a collar 41 welded near end 42 to be inserted in a ring 11 of a side fitting 10. A second ring or collar 43 is welded a greater distance from end 44. A strong compression 30 coil spring 45 is placed about end 44. An internally threaded nut 46 is fixed in member 40. A side fitting 10 is placed over end 44 against spring 45, a cap 47 is positioned over its ring portion 11, and a bolt 48 is passed through cap 47 to be screwed into nut 46. Bolt 48 is 35 then tightened to urge a side fitting 10 inward against compression spring 45 to compress it. The chair is assembled in the same manner as has been hereinbefore described and bolt 48 is backed off to allow spring 45 to tension the fabric back 37 and seat 35. If desired, bolt 4 48 and cap 47 may be removed completely after chair assembly.

FIGURES 6 and 7 show a cross member 50 which consists of a strong leaf spring 51 having two ends 52 and 53 welded to it. Ends 52 and 53 have cylindrical 45 portions 54 and 55 to be inserted into rings 11 of side fittings 10. Collars 56 and 57 are formed on the inner sides of the cylindrical portions 54 and 55. A transverse slot 58 is milled or cut in end 53 to receive the T head 59 of a long threaded rod 60. Rod 60 is passed 50 through both the ends 52 and 53. By tightening the thumb screw 61, rod 60 compresses or bows spring 51 to allow the assembly of the chair. After assembly, nut or thumb screw 61 and rod 60 are removed so spring 51 may tension the fabric back 37 and seat 35 of the chair. FIG- 55 URE 7 shows the spring 51 welded to the ends 52 and FIGURE 8 shows a minor modification of my invention. A small extension rod 70 is welded to the top ring 15A of each of two side fittings 10A which are otherwise 60 identical to the side fittings 10. A modified fabric seat 71 has tubular side portions 72 containing, on each side, a cutout 73. The seat 71 is first slipped over the rearwardly extending rods 70 of two side fittings 10A and then the seat members 21 are inserted through the tubular side portions 72 to enter the seat studs 17A. This modification allows the seat to extend behind the back 37.

Since the side fittings 10 may rotate about the cross members 25, 40, or 50, the two pairs of legs 18 and 19 of this chair will accommodate themselves to any 70 floor irregularities as soon as the chairs are sat upon.

If desired, tips or ends of any type may be applied to legs 18 and 19 to protect a floor.

While I have shown anddescribed my invention in the best forms known to me, it will nevertheless be understood that these are purely exemplary and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as itmay be more limited in the appended claims wherein I claim:

1. A chair comprising, in combination, two side fittings each containing a transverseaperture, a back member cantilevered upwards from each side fitting, a seat member cantilevered forward from each side fitting, a flexible back extending between said back members, a flexible seat extending between said seat members, a cross member having first and second cylindrical ends extending into the transverse apertures in said side fittings mounting said side fittings on said cross member, said crossmember having means holding said fittings apart stretching said back and said seat between said back and said seat members, a front leg extending downward from each side fitting, and a back leg extending downward from each side fitting, said side fittings having tubular studs fixed thereto, said back members, said seat members, said front legs, and said back legs telescoping into said tubular studs to be cantilevered from said side fittings.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said means holding said fittings apart comprises a collar fixed near the first end of said cross member, a threaded portion of said cross member near the second end of said cross member, and an internally threaded sleeve screwed outward about said threaded portion forcing said side fittings apart.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said means holding said fittings apart comprises a first collar fixed near the first end of said cross member, a second collar fixed near the second end of said cross member, a compression coil spring disposed about said second end outside said second collar, said compression spring urging the side fitting on the second end of said cross member outwards.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said cross member is tubular and with the addition of means to compress said compression spring to assemble said chair, said means to compress said spring comprising a threaded element fixedwithin said cross member, a cap having a greater inside diameter than said second end of said cross member, and a bolt passing through said cap screwed into said threaded element, said bolt being tightened pulling said cap and a side fitting inward compressing said compression spring against said second collar.

5. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said means holding said fittings apart comprises means pre-,

venting said side fittings from sliding inwards on said first and second ends, said cross member being a bowed leaf spring urging said first and second ends and said side fittings apart.

6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein each of said side fittings has a lower ring from which a front and a back leg extend, said lower ring containing a cylindrical aperture to receive an end of said cross memher, an extension fixed to and extending upward from said lower ring, and an upper ring fixed on top of said extension, said back and seat members extendingupward and forward from said upper ring.

References Cited CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CHAIR COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, TWO SIDE FITTINGS EACH CONTAINING A TRANSVERSE APERTURE, A BACK MEMBER CANTILEVERED UPWARDS FROM EACH SIDE FITTING, A SEAT MEMBER CANTILEVERED FORWARD FROM EACH SIDE FITTING, A FLEXIBLE BACK EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID BACK MEMBERS, A FLEXIBLE SEAT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SEAT MEMBERS, A CROSS MEMBER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND CYLINDRICAL ENDS EXTENDING INTO THE TRANSVERSE APERTURES IN SAID SIDE FITTINGS MOUNTING SAID SIDE FITTINGS ON SAID CROSS MEMBER, SAID CROSS MEMBER HAVING MEANS HOLDING SAID FITTINGS APART STRETCHING SAID BACK AND SAID SEAT BETWEEN SAID BACK AND SAID SEAT MEMBERS, A FRONT LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM EACH SIDE FITTING, AND A BACK LEG EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM EACH SIDE FITTING, SAID SIDE FITTINGS HAVING TUBULAR STUDS FIXED THERETO, SAID BACK MEMBERS, SAID SEAT MEMBERS, SAID FRONT LEGS, AND SAID BACK LEGS TELESCOPING INTO SAID TUBULAR STUDS TO BE CANTILEVERED FROM SAID SIDE FITTINGS. 